New Chamber Chairman gets gavel

Jenny Gentry, right, accepts a gavel from Bill Shira to succeed him as chairman of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday during the organization’s annual meeting. Gentry is the Savannah market president for Wells Fargo bank and Shira is Gulfstream’s vice president of marketing.

Encouraging local business owners to “roll up their sleeves” and “continue to make Savannah the best city in America,” Jenny Gentry on Thursday assumed the chairmanship of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Savannah market president for Wells Fargo bank succeeds Bill Shira, Gulfstream’s vice president of marketing, as the Chamber’s board leader. Gentry accepted the chairman’s gavel from Shira during the organization’s annual meeting at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort.

Shira praised Gentry for her “infectious personality” in introducing her to the membership.

Gentry’s enthusiasm showed as she shared her 2013 outlook.

“2012 was a great year, and you can expect no less next year,” Gentry said. “We’re expecting to continue the economic rebound, although it will be slow.”

During the meeting, Chamber leaders reflected on the past year while looking forward to 2013.

Chamber membership grew by 1 percent in 2012, and the retention rate grew to 89 percent.

The organization put on more than 30 events attended by more than 7,200 members in 2012.

Shira outlined the Chamber’s 2012 successes, including its efforts to garner more state funding for the Savannah Harbor deepening project, the graduation of 41 new Leadership Savannah students and the tourism increases spearheaded by Visit Savannah, a Chamber arm.

“Visit Savannah continues to hit home runs all the time,” Shira said.

Thursday’s luncheon was the 206th annual meeting of the Savannah Chamber.

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That the new Chairperson of the Chamber gloats that the three biggest accomplishments of the Chamber this past year were in getting more tax payer money from the State to waste on dredging an unnecessary extra 10 miles up the Savannah River, graduating people from a 'leadership' program that has produced the likes of the City Council over the past many years, and tourism increases to employ more maids, barkeepers, waiters, maintenance men, bell-hops, tour guides, front desk clerks, bus boys, taxi drivers, street vendors, gift shop sales people, and other jobs that represent more than 90% of the jobs in the hospitality industry and which average less than $20,000 a year, makes one wonder about what a bad year would consist of for the Chamber.